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Curry Lentil Soup

This 20 minute vegan curry lentil soup is loaded with your favorite pantry staples including classic curry spices, garbanzo beans, coconut milk and split red lentils. It has all the feels of comfort food so your family will never guess it’s completely loaded with healthy, wholesome ingredients!

Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro


 

You Will Love This

  • It’s delicious AND good for you! This vegan curry lentil soup gives you the best of both worlds in terms of being the ultimate comfort food and also being loaded with healthy, whole ingredients like garbanzo beans, red lentils, and coconut milk!
  • It can be thrown together quickly with pantry staples you likely already have on hand! We are talking 20 minutes from start to finish and just a handful of canned pantry items along with some classic curry inspired spices. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
  • It’s the perfect “make-ahead” meal since the flavors just get better with time! It reheats beautifully (as most soups do) making it a meal prep lover’s dream! You can throw together a big batch of this on Sunday night and dinner is done for the week!
Close up shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Instructions

Saute onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Large white pot filled with onions and olive oil

Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 

Large white pot filled with sauteed onions garlic and spices

Deglaze the pan with a splash of broth, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan.

Large white pot filled with sauteed onions garlic and spices

Add chickpeas and lentils.  

Large white pot filled with chickpeas and split red lentils

Add coconut milk.

Large white pot filled with chickpeas red lentils and coconut milk

Stir in the rest of the vegetable broth.

Large white pot filled curried lentil soup

Turn up heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium to medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender. 

Large white pot filled curried lentil soup

Stir in fresh squeezed lime juice, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Lentils

  • Lentils are part of the legume family. A legume is a plant with an edible seed (think beans or peas).
  • Lentils come dried or canned. They come in a few different varieties including red/yellow, green, brown and black.
  • Lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber which makes them a filling (and very healthy) addition to any meal.

Is it Vegan?

  • Yes! This curried lentil soup is made without any animal products. The creaminess comes from the coconut milk and the cooking liquid we use in this recipe is vegetable broth.
  • While I don’t follow a vegan diet, I do try to incorporate as many vegetables into my meals as possible so you’ll find a lot of vegan and vegetarian recipes here on Midwest Foodie.
Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Try these easy soup recipes next!

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Vegan Curry Lentil Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 35 reviews

This vegan curry lentil soup is loaded with your favorite pantry staples – classic curry spices, garbanzo beans, and split red lentils. It has all the feels of comfort food so your family will never guess it’s completely loaded with healthy, wholesome ingredients!

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 46 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. 
  2. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 
  3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of broth, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. 
  4. Add chickpeas, lentils, coconut milk and remianing broth. Stir to combine.   
  5. Turn up heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium to medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked through. 
  6. Stir in fresh squeezed lime juice, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

This post was originally published in January of 2019. It was updated in March of 2020 to include step-by-step instructions, process shots and helpful hints for making the best vegan curry lentil soup!

90 Comments

  1. So yummy! I added carrots with the onions. I think next time I’ll add some spinach at the end too. This is my new favorite lentil soup. My 10 year old vegetarian loved it too.






    1. I’m so glad to hear that this lentil soup was a hit, Denise! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

  2. Great recipe! Definitely a new go to for soup weather. I modified it for my pressure cooker and it came out tasty 😋






  3. When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are
    added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment.
    Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service?

    Thank you!






  4. I apologize, i had leftover chick breast so i threw it in,
    Not a vegan. i love the recipe though.






      1. I made it today. It was very good. I love curry, lentils/split peas and chickpeas. I think I will try to add more vegetables next time, I love those too.

      2. I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Ana! You can never go wrong with adding more veggies 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!

  5. AMAZING soup. Thank you so much for the recipe. It got pretty thick at the end. What do you suggest to thin it out. More water?






  6. I made this tonight. Delicious. Only had low fat coconut milk but still good. Probably not as think as it could be with full fat.

      1. I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Krystle. I really appreciate it 🙂

  7. This recipe is super easy to make and it taste delicious. I like to make a pot and eat it over the course of a few days. It’s packed full of flavor and seems to taste even better on the second and third day after making it. I’ll be making this one for many years. Thank you!






      1. Split red lentils cook super quick, so no need to soak before! If you’re using brown or green lentils, then you could soak or cook them a bit before adding them to the soup!

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